Section 1: About gender strategies This section explains what gender means in this Toolkit, what a gender strategy is, why it matters for an NHRI, and how gender can be built into both specialised gender work and the NHRI’s broader strategic direction. Defining gender ‘Gender’ refers to socially constructed roles of, and power relations among, women, men and gender diverse people. ‘Gender equality’ is where people of all genders have equal rights, responsibilities, opportunities and outcomes. Gender refers to the socially shaped roles, expectations and power relations associated with women, men and gender diverse people. These experiences are not the same for everyone. They are influenced by other parts of a person’s identity and life experience, including disability, ethnicity, age, sexuality, religion, class and migration status. As a result, discrimination and inequality are often experienced differently by different groups of people. This Toolkit approaches gender through this broader human rights and inclusion lens. Gender Strategy Toolkit 2026 15